As car enthusiasts, we tend to be the harshest critics of automobile manufacturers. We expect them to make vehicles that appeal to our performance and handling desires, and sadly, the current track record reveals plenty of examples of vehicles that giant OEMs eventually decide to build and no one ever buys in sufficient numbers. The reality of the situation shows that wholly average vehicles are the ones that save companies from the financial brink, which is why cars like this clean 1978 Ford Fairmont listed here on eBay were such a gamechanger for the industry.
The Fairmont was built on the Fox platform, the one we so often associate with the Mustang. The fact that the heralded muscle car platform came from such humble beginnings is often forgotten by most enthusiasts, but that’s the ebb and flow of the industry. Ford wasn’t in great financial shape when the Fairmont came out, and it needed a home run. The thing is, home runs don’t often some with sports and performance models: they arrive with a bread-and-butter sedan that loads of people buy to park in suburban driveways and to take their kids to school.
Similar to Chrysler’s K-Car, stuffing money back into the coffers came in the form of a six-cylinder sedan that didn’t drive like much of anything. It simply got people from point A to point B. When the K-Car arrived and helped Chrysler rebound from bankruptcy, it was a simple, front-wheel-drive and fuel efficient model lineup that did it – not a slick handling coupe with blistering acceleration. The Fairmont did get a sporty touch when the Futura was introduced, a two-door model with touches reminiscent of the iconic Thunderbird.
This Fairmont is a recent donation vehicle that appears to be in outstanding condition. It doesn’t run, but the seller also doesn’t do much more than the basics to assess mechanical integrity after it arrives on the lot. The good news is these were generally reliable cars so getting the 200 CID inline-six to fire up again shouldn’t prove too taxing, even if having those 86 horses back in action won’t prove too exciting. The Fairmont was a sales success for Ford, proving that no all heroes wear capes, or have spoilers with eye-catching ground effects. Bidding sits at $500 with no reserve.
You know, it’s kind of funny how certain people are born with such wisdom, they can take a mundane car EXACTLY like this, and turn it into one of the most successful drag racing cars of all time. Once again, I speak of the unbelievably late great Bob Glidden, that had unbeatable winning streak with his 1978 Fairmont. He had an astonishing 32-0 win record in 1978, never lost a round,,even the “Professor” or the “Grump” couldn’t top that.
Whether that had anything to do with the sale of this particular car is a stretch. This was for the person who knew nothing about cars, but needed one on a rare occasion. It usually came down to cost, and at about $3600, it was one of the cheapest US cars made. Municipalities used these too, and suspect that was the history here, just never used. You want a basic car, no info screen, and a motor that actually looks like one, here you go. They will never be like this again.
Beautifully basic. 😎
If you’ve ever wanted a vanilla car….
Even a Lutheran minister from Ft. Wayne would pass this one by.
Excellent write-up Jeff. While we all bask in the hi-po or fancy models, it is the bread-and-butter models which pay the bills. And similar to yesterday’s white Falcon, this is a very basic Fairmont– it doesn’t even have a radio. I’m kind of surprised it has an automatic transmission.
Would I rather have a well-equipped Futura? Sure, but this one does have its charms.
I will take that white 60 Falcon with 170 and 3 on the tree posted here a couple days ago. At least it has style. This looks like a telephone booth going down the road!
Nice blank slate to make some changes to fit your wants and needs. For me, two more doors and a radio would do me fine. Two door cars are just too expensive to keep here in Florida
because of the huge premium
surcharges that insurance companies slap on them. The last 2-door I bought in 1987 was
a ’77 Mustang 🐎 II that cost me
over $850 a month just for basic
coverage! My wife had no DUIs or tickets of any kind whatsoever.
Argue or complain about it, you
paid $200 more. That’s how they
screwed you over back then. Wasn’t til 1991 that Bob Maritnez
put a stop to price gouging on car
insurance here. Another car from
California I see. Owners are dumping them as fast as possible to keep Gavin Newsome
and his goons from confiscating
their cars WITHOUT A WARANT
to enforce a classic car ban that
he signed into Iaw a few months
back. It makes it a crime to own
or possess a classic car in the state of California. Dunno what
penalties are but if I were living there, I’d be getting outta there
BEFORE they pass an exit tax.
My advice: move to Florida and
bring your classic cars with you.
We wanna see what kind of rides
you have. And yes Howard, I do
remember these cars and how
easy it was to make them go fast.
Did the fairmont get nicer with age?
This is the kind of car America needs today…. simple basic transportation. But the manufacturers no longer turn to such cars when they need a home run. Instead they force everyone into loaded down SUVs that nobody really wants, but they buy them because there are no options.
This Fairmont will hopefully find a home where it will get the refreshing it needs. The interior is pretty dirty, but as long as someone can get the engine running, cleaning it up shouldn’t be too hard.